JHANSI: A tragic fire Jhansi Medical College It claimed the lives of ten newborns. A sudden fire broke out in the neonatal special care ward (SNCU) ward in Maharani Laxmibai Medical College Late Friday night, it claimed the lives of ten newborn babies. Several babies were burned to death and others suffocated.
SNCU wards and emergency rooms were in chaos as distraught family members frantically searched for information about their loved ones. Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire originated from an electrical short circuit, with the oxygen concentrator in the ward acting as the catalyst.
Official records confirm that some 49 newborns were admitted to the ward, many with serious illnesses. Of the ten children who died, seven have been identified and three remain unknown.
Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak arrived at the medical college early Saturday morning. He confirmed that 16 children were being treated in the emergency room and six others were staying with their mothers in separate wards of the medical school. Seven children were shifted to private hospitals, one to district hospital and one each to Maulanipur and Lalitpur. Authorities are working to find the parents of six unidentified children.
Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak said, “We are investigating the cause of the fire. The ward attendants tried to put out the fire, but it further intensified due to oxygen concentrators. Among the ten deceased, three children were unidentified .
Among the dead were three girls and four boys. Nazma and Jacob of Hamirpur have two girls. Three of them are from Lalitpur and their parents are Pooja and Bhagwan Singh, Sanjana and Sonu, and Bhagwat and Dharmendra. Two of them are from Jhansi and their parents are Poonam and Netram, Sandhya and Kanchan.
Justice Avnish Kumar confirmed that critically ill patients were accommodated in the inner part of the SNCU ward, while other patients were housed in the outer part. A mother noticed smoke coming from the end of the ward and sounded the alarm. Within moments, the women fled with their children, but the fire spread quickly thanks to oxygen concentrators. Hospital staff worked to evacuate people from the ward, which had only one entrance and exit.
Firefighters and military personnel arrived and broke windows to rescue the trapped people. Several newborns were burned beyond recognition. Doctors were seen rushing out of the ward with multiple babies in their arms. Allegations surfaced that the ward’s firefighting equipment was inadequate and out of date.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. Prime Minister Modi expressed his deep condolences and sympathy to the bereaved parents. BSP Supremo Mayawati demanded strict action against those responsible, while Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav alleged irregularities in the functioning of the medical college.
